Jason McKoy
Jason McKoy with Etna Community Organization and Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization
Artist
Date
2021–2024
Location
Etna, PA and Sharpsburg, PA
Organizational Partners
Etna Community Organization and Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization
We Are Windows
We Are Windows is a public, multimedia art installation by artist Jason “The Real” McKoy that was created in collaboration with the Etna Community Organization and Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization. Part of the Public Art and Communities Program, this project seeks to address the issue of social isolation in the neighboring boroughs of Etna and Sharpsburg, PA.
The artwork consists of two public installations in Etna and Sharpsburg that function as digital windows into the public life of the adjacent borough. Six digital screens embedded in each installation livestream video footage from cameras installed in six locations in the neighboring borough. Each pane of the window is a different live video stream from the neighboring community; the window installed in Etna displays public activities from Sharpsburg and vice versa. The sculptures give the appearance of windows floating in space.
As much a “social medium” experiment as public art, We Are Windows aims to explore how we can communicate across distances, even though we exist as neighbors. We may live in the most connected times with social media, yet it feels like we are less connected with each other than ever.
We Are Windows allows us to be social together, in public, through media.
Process
Artist Jason McKoy began partnering closely with the Etna Community Organization and Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization in Summer 2021 to learn more about the community’s residents and stakeholders. A series of socially-distanced engagement activities in Fall and Winter 2021 included surveys, distributed online and via postcards, as well as tabling at local outdoor events. The results of the surveys, in combination with McKoy’s close collaboration with ECO and SNO contributed to the development of the artistic concept.
Online Resources
Website
Learn more about Jason McKoy and his other projects on his website.
Learn more about the organizational partners on their websites.
Related
PROJECTS
What Is Black? Mixcast
This podcast, zine, and multimedia mixtape project by artist Jason McKoy explore what it means to be a Black creative through a series of conversations with featured guests, artists, and creatives.
“This project directly addresses feelings of isolation by providing glimpses into the world outside your door, your neighborhood. It shows people they are not alone.”
Jason McKoy
About the Artist
Jason McKoy is a brand consultant, ARTvocate, social innovator, and weirdo. Living with major depressive disorder has informed how he navigates the world creatively. He is the founder of McKoy Creative, a warm hug for your business providing creative services from concept to completion that benefit communities. When not making stuff, he’s either playing video games or sleeping. He hails from NYC.
About the Organizational Partners
Etna Community Organization’s mission is to make Etna a more vibrant place to live, work, and play by 1) supporting projects and programs that integrate equity, sustainability, and resiliency into the fabric of our community, and 2) engaging, empowering, and activating Etna’s community members to take ownership over their futures.
Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization works to strengthen and engage the community of Sharpsburg through work that focuses on improving the quality of life for residents by targeting sustainable, equity-driven projects that prioritize inclusive community engagement and grassroots local leadership.
Image credits
Gallery, top:
(1) Jason McKoy, We Are Windows (Etna), 2023; photo courtesy of the artist; (2-3) Installation of We Are Windows in Etna and Sharpsburg, photos by Visuals by Ishara; (4-6) Art Creep and Crawl Tour of Etna and Sharpsburg, photos by Visuals by Ishara.
Related
PROJECTS
What Is Black? Mixcast
This podcast, zine, and multimedia mixtape project by artist Jason McKoy explore what it means to be a Black creative through a series of conversations with featured guests, artists, and creatives.
PROGRAMS
Public Art and Communities Program
This program supports the development of place-based strategies and temporary artworks in Pittsburgh communities that respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and address its intersection with other public health issues.